Quite A Pair, You And I
by MissMassacre413
Summary: A crossover between Paranorman and Monster House, focusing on DJ and Norman. Is an alternate universe and yes, contains a homosexual relationship. I guess it could be seen as friends if you take off your slash goggles, though. T for cigarette usage, some minor swearing, and paranoia. First time writing for either film, go easy on me.


**A/N oh gosh oh jeez oh gosh oh jeez, prepare for a long A/N! I know I should be working on APAGD, but I'm sort of in a writer's block as far as that one goes. **  
**So i rented ParaNorman and wow is that movie good. The plot is super predictable but it's aimed at little kids (?) so who really cares? The first thing I thought was 'Holy shit, Norman and Neil should meet DJ and Chowder." And so an awkward college AU I call Para-House was born. I see a lot of crossovers with Gravity Falls, and those are all well and good, but Monster House is cool too! DX So this turned into a pairing, sorry if it weirds you out. I've never written anything for either film, so go easy on me. It shouldn't be too bad though.**  
**  
Disclaimer: I don't own ParaNorman, or Monster House. Once Upon A Time I lived in the city Monster House takes place in though. 8D**

Sometimes, Norman wonders how they ended up friends. He's grateful, of course, because why wouldn't he be? All he'd had before was family, ghosts, and Neil. Not that that was really a bad thing, of course that wasn't a bad thing, Norman loved his family, he loved talking to the ghosts, and he really liked having Neil as a friend, it's just- a kid needs more than the same small circle, even a kid who so loved being alone.

Back to the point, the beginning of their friendship is a complete mystery. Norman remembers when DJ moved to Blithe Hollow, how could he possibly forget? He was the cool older boy, from 'Nowhere Wisconsin', a place that at the time had seemed so far away, and even still holds a bit of mystery- the boy had never actually revealed where 'Nowhere' was. But the cool older boy had a strange way of avoiding big, old houses, skirting around them and, when he had to come close, constantly watching the windows, taking off as fast as he could. Combine this weird quirk with the natural awkward insecurity of being a new high school student, and DJ was instantly victimized. For the most part the boy ignored it, took it in stride- why not? He knew his own worth, could easily measure his intelligence as so much higher than the grey kid with the gauges, and he probably wasn't wrong.

(of course, Norman didn't know any of this at the time. These thoughts left over from youth would be shared as 'bedtime stories' in the early hours of the morning, whispered into the dark, almost as if to himself, but of course that was ridiculous- who whispers secrets they don't want to tell into the ears of those all too willing to listen?)

However, Neil took the act as somebody desperately needing a friend, and DJ took to him instantly. "You remind me of my best friend back home," he said.

That was probably the root of their friendship, Norman thinks, and reminds himself to thank Neil for being so friendly the next they saw each other.

It took a little longer for the new boy to grow on Norman. Or maybe it was that it took Norman a little longer to grow on DJ. Regardless of who grew on whom, it took some time before more than awkward half-conversations were held between the boys. And even when they became more than awkward half friends, they still weren't close.

It was strange, the friendship the two maintained. Sometimes, DJ would invite Norman, just Norman, as strange as that was, to spend the night. "I have a movie I think you'd like. I mean, you really like old zombie flicks, don't you?"

The young medium never knew exactly how to react to these invitations, aside from the obvious 'yes'. It was weird for a high schooler, never mind that DJ was just a year ahead, to even talk to an eighth grader, let alone invite one over to watch movies.

During one of these small get-togethers, DJ had let slip why he was so afraid of huge old houses- in the town he was from, his neighbor's house had been cursed, haunted by the wife that had died in during construction so many years ago.

Norman listened quietly, eagerly taking in every word of DJ's account.

"But of course," the older boy chuckled, "You probably don't believe me. I wouldn't believe myself if it wasn't, y'know, me."

"No," Norman answered quickly, almost too quickly, "No I don't think you're crazy or anything. I mean, it wouldn't really be fair of me to judge, as the kid who talks to ghost and saved the town from a two-hundred year old curse."

"Hah," DJ had answered, "You and I, we make quite a pair."

Though they didn't become inseparable after that night, neither quite willing to sacrifice the solitude he so enjoyed to quietly sit around somebody else, it was impossible to deny that the two got closer. It's amazing, the effect sharing stories of near-death experiences linked to the dead has on a friendship.

By the time Norman was a junior and DJ a senior, they were close enough to spend a lot of time together, still reclusive enough to have that same sense of awkward shyness- the tension of mutual feelings of inadequacy, each feeling like he was less worthy of the other's attention.

It surprised Norman one Saturday afternoon to have DJ burst into his room unannounced, accidentally walking in on a nice conversation with his grandmother, only to stutter out some sort of awkward confession that ended in a rushed _"I think it would be a good idea if we were dating,"_ and even though Norman had never thought himself gay, never thought himself anything really, it only seemed natural to answer with a shaky yes, his face ten times darker than his well-worn, almost too-small red hoodie.

It seemed natural, just as it seemed natural to visit the older boy at college every chance he got, to then follow him to college. It seemed natural enough to get matching tattoos on the younger's eighteenth birthday- not gawdy awful things drunk teenagers would get, things like hearts with names inside, neither of the two were that stupid. No, just tiny little ghosts on the inside of the forearm, left for DJ, right for Norman.

"Y'know, Babcock," DJ had said immediately after, mumbling around the butt of an unlit menthol cigarette, "We make quite a pair."

Norman had laughed a sort of quiet, breathy laugh. "Yeah, Walters, I guess we do."

Sometimes, when it's cold (and "No shit it's cold, Norm, it's winter in Massachusetts and we're college students who can barely afford rent, let alone heat."), Norman wonders how he and DJ eve became friends in the first place. Usually he pays thanks to Neil, but every now and again, he pays thanks to fate. Ordinarily, he'd laugh at something so stupid, and people brought together by fate? that's a pretty stupid thing to believe, but he figured maybe that was it. How many people do you meet in a lifetime are cool with you talking to ghosts? With having such a crazy experience with one?

And how many people can so closely relate?

Norman thinks the proper word is 'soulmate'. But that sounds super mushy and he doesn't think he could ever say that to DJ without flushing and stuttering and ultimately making a fool of himself.

At any rate, while the origin of their friendship might remain unknown forever, Norman remains thankful to anything he thought to thank, and wonders if this was something that happened to a lot of people, finding somebody so absolutely perfect for them, in one way or another, however they wanted to word it.

Like with the awkward teenage boys with matching ghost tattoos, very similar backgrounds, similar personalities.

Norman thinks the proper word is 'Soulmate', but he prefers to hear DJ's voice say 'quite a pair'.

_~fin_

**In case anybody was going to get after me for the discontinuity that was the point. It's sleepy, three-am Norman drifting in and out of different though paths, much like what usually happens when somebody thinks too hard when they're on the verge of sleep. Also it's like three in the morning, I am not reading through that right now. Tomorrow. Yeah. Then. Goodnight, thanks for reading.**


End file.
